I am a bookstore junkie. I have met many people in bookstores. The more technologically advanced our society becomes, the more we introvert. Sitting in front of the TV, alone, plugging into an ipod, text messaging or sitting in front of the computer. It’s freakin sad. There was a time when people sat on their front porch or had a neighborhood barbeque. In some places they still do that. The next time you’re sitting in grid lock traffic, look around. Everyone is alone in their car, listening to the radio, talking on their cell phone, doing anything to cling to the evolutionary relic of human contact.
In my area, there are no SMART face to face meetings, but there are other meetings. The meeting that I attend is called “we, agnostics” and it is for people who do not subscribe to common religious philosophy. I met another atheist, and I hope to build a friendship from my attendance of this group.
I can see that you are going through a difficult time. It’s hard for people, who relate all too well to what you are going through, to watch you struggle without wanting to make things better.
I believe that just the act of changing things is enough to make a difference in how we feel or how we perceive the world. It’s a lot like theatre. Change the actors, change the plot, change the setting. Shake the snow globe.